Wichita eagle., 1887-10-09
SUPPLEMENT
PETER PATTERSON.

He was tailor by trade, this Peter;
tailor in the great city of Gotham. BE
left the country in his first youth, an
swering an advertisement in daily pa
per, and being honest and ploddin2,
worked his way up till he had business
of his own, ceased to think of little Lydia
Marsh, the sweetheart who had never for
gotten him, and became q well to do man,
with stout, easy going wife and COM
Portable home in an questionable quarter
of the city.
In due course Of time Mrs. Peter Pat
terson left her comfortable home forever.
In the twenty long years Of her married
life she had been childless, and yet never
regretted 1t. She had, in her want Of
other and nobler occupation, eaten too
much and walked too little; so one day
she was found lifeless on her parlor floor,
from an attack Of apoplexy.
Now Peter had at least fifty thousand
dollars well invested, and on lucky day
he was offered thirty thousand more for
the stock and custom Of his store, no
longer a mere tailor's shop, but great,
profitable clothing establishment. He
sold out his business, invested his money,
and went back to birmingham, where he
was born, to try change of air. Here
he found his old sweetheart, Lydia Marsh,
still alive and unmarried.
Lydia had grown tall, thin and gray
since he knew her; but she was still meek,
simple, affectionate and very glad to re-
new her acquaintance with Peter, who
had found but few whom he remembered
left in birmingham, and was glad of one
cordial welcome. Now, Lydia Marsh,
having enough money to live on as single
women do live in the country, and little
enough to do in her house, where bound
girl and cat constituted all the family,
had taken violently to the temperance
cause. 1t is an odd thing that almost all
the old maids and widows in a country
town do become devoted either to the
work Of temperance or the cause Of for
eign missions. There may be plenty Of
white heather at their door; their next
neighbor may be drunkard and abuse
his wife and children; but these specialties
do not interest them; they take to glitter
ing generalities even es ducks to water,
and find pleasant excitement in figuring
as officers of an organization The mar
ried women, with husbands and children
to provide for, have "other fish to fry"
and with a few sad and painful exceptions
adhere to their womanly duties in that
sweet, safe corner by the household fire."
made for good women.
Now Peter was dull and lonesome In
his inn, and it became q matter Of course
with him to spend his evenings with
Lydia. The amiable enthusiast piled him
with her own notions and achievements
till he became interested deeply both in
her and in her work The old love, like
Aaron's dry rod, budded and blossomed,
and he made formal proposal to Lydia,
who modestly accepted him for better or
worse. BY this time Peter was extremely
bored by birmingham quiet and dizziness,
He was by no means DESTROYS to spend
the rest OF his days there. His dyspepsia
was better and he discovered that Lydia
was an excellent cook and housekeeper;
consequently he persuaded her to set an
early day for the wedding, and fastened
back to the city to provide . new home.
OF course, with his moderate means, he
had to buy a house in q block; but then
there are certain conveniences in that;
your house is warmer than single man
sion; your neighbors cannot make more
outside show than you do; a block, like
death, reduces men to the same level
apparently, at least; and whether you
wish to have a characteristic dwelling or
not, you can't have it, except within.
Lydia gasped little at the idea OF ''goin'
to York to live. " 1t was a great elevation,
and birmingham people bristled with envy
but Lydia rather dreaded it. However,
Peter soothed her with stories OF city con-
veniences; n kitchen where the water,
both hot and cold, came into the sink at
her pleasure; no lamps to NIL or trim; no
weekly butcher TO wait and stay at home
for; all the needs and Injuries of life close
at hand; unlimited meetings and temper
ance lectures; and utilization awaiting her
with all the women's unions and female
leagues known to her hitherto as distant
glories and powers through the newspa-
pers. What a change from the one feeble
society in birmingham, where she had
only been a member!-one OF three-the
other six were all officers.
So in due time Lydia was installed IN
her new home, along with the willing
bound girl and the unwilling cat, and rev.
eled in the glories of a city house with
basement kitchen, parlor with red plush
furniture and blue tapestry carpet, or
namented with large and forbidding por-
traits of Peter in his neatly parted wig and
Sunday coat, vis-a-vis with the first Mrs.
Peter, round and snug in a black velvet
gown. 1t is as cheap to be painted in vel
vet as in calico. This state apartment
was kept dark and still The square
room behind it was the living room, and
both Peters and Lydia's old furnishings
were sprinkled sparsely over the rest OF
the house.
They had very little society, for Peters
social development had always been
small; bnt Lydia found enough TO do In
her nes. house and her evening meetings;
and Peter joined mems temperance so
ciety. who held their meetings in the same
building where Lydia's branch OF the wo-
mems league held theirs, so that it was
remarkably convenient for them to 60 and
come together.
Deprived Of any other outlet for bis
busy nature, Peter soon became promi-
nent person in the 81. 7. A Circle, No. 4.
He rose 10 the rank Of secretary, and was
then elected vice president Lydia had no
such honors showered on her; naturally
modest, she was afraid TO speak before
crowd of strangers But while her sensi-
tive wonanhood led her TO keep silence,
she was a regular attendant and q liberal
contributor, so the ''sistering' did nos
frown upon her.
Peter, however, Was Is active as blue
bottle fy; he TALKED and prayed and
worked with vigorous zeal; be button
holed indifferent m<n, and aEokc eheR
interest: he hauled mofU than oEe youth
from the saloons where he was beginning
to slide down the easy descent OF degra-
dation, and helped him to stand there
after On his feet; and many . wife, bereft
vrorSa than ny death many A family az